Recipe Review - Red Velvet Cake (Vegan)

Vegan Red Velvet Cake Recipe - Zoe Bakes
Buttercream Frosting/Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe - Whispers of Thyme

Zoe at Zoe Bakes did a review of this cake recipe from Eileen Goudge's cookbook, "Something Warm from the Oven: Baking Memories, Making Memories." This is my review of the same recipe. This cake contains no eggs, no milk, and no butter, but is still amazingly moist and dense. The frosting, on the other hand, is Not vegan.



Here is what you'll need for the cake:
All-Purpose Flour, Sugar, Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (NOT dutch process), Baking Soda, Salt, Oil, Vanilla Extract, Red Food Coloring, Water, and Lemon Juice.

The original recipe calls for a food processor to mix the ingredients, but I used a whisk and electric mixer instead. 



Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. 

Whisk together.

Add in cocoa, and continue whisking until blended.

Place the combined dry mixture in mixer bowl...or better yet, just start the recipe in a mixer bowl!



In a separate bowl, whisk together cold water, oil, vanilla, food coloring, and lemon juice.

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients. Mix until thoroughly blended.

Pour batter into pans.  

Bake and cool cake in pans on rack before removing from pan.

Continue to cool cakes on racks.




While cakes are cooking or cooling, prepare frosting (NOT vegan).
Here is what you'll need:
Powdered Sugar, Shortening, Butter, Vanilla Extract, Butter Flavoring, Meringue Powder (optional), and Milk or Cream (and Hershey's Chocolate Bars, if making Chocolate Buttercream Frosting).

Cream together butter, shortening, and salt. Add in vanilla extract and butter flavoring (not pictured).

Mix in meringue powder, if using, along with additional powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time.

Melt chocolate bars in microwave and stir, then let cool.

Add melted and cooled chocolate to frosting and mix well.

Add in milk or cream until desired consistency. (not pictured).

Frost cooled cake.

My decorating skills need some work, no?

Good thing for me, the taste was unaffected!



Dig in! 

Although the cake and icing together are tasty, this cake might be better with a lighter frosting, such as whipped topping.  

But, please check out Zoe's beautiful basket weave design on her frosting...simply gorgeous!


RECIPE: Red Velvet Cake (Vegan) - Zoe Bakes

Buttercream Frosting or *Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

www.whispersofthyme.blogspot.com
(yield: enough to frost a layer cake)

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter

1 cup Crisco Shortening

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring

1 1/2 teaspoons meringue powder (optional)

4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1 to 2 Tablespoons milk or cream, for desired consistency

Instructions:

Mix the butter, shortening, and salt on medium speed for 3 minutes. Add vanilla extract and butter flavoring, then continue to mix until thoroughly blended. Stop mixer and add meringue powder, if using, along with 1 cup powdered sugar. Start mixer on the lowest speed and add the remaining powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until the sugar is thoroughly blended. Add milk or cream, 1 Tablespoon at a time, if needed for desired consistency. Turn mixer to medium speed and continue to beat for an additional 5 minutes.

*Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

www.whispersofthyme.blogspot.com
(yield: enough to frost a layer cake)

Ingredients:

Prepared Buttercream Frosting (see above).

Four (4) Hershey Chocolate Bars (1.55 ounces each)

Directions:

Prepare Buttercream Frosting recipe as specified above. Microwave four (4) Hershey chocolate bars on medium power until melted. Stir and then set aside to cool. Once cooled, add the melted chocolate to the Buttercream Frosting and blend with mixer until fully incorporated and smooth.